Mean
Sadistic
Sadistic adjective - Having or showing the desire to inflict severe pain and suffering on others.
Usage example: the troubled youth is being treated by a psychotherapist for his sadistic urges to hurt animals
Mean and sadistic are semantically related. Sometimes you can use "Mean" instead an adjective "Sadistic".
Both words in one sentence
- Harry, in addition to being somewhat smarter, is a Nice Guy in his own bumbling way, whereas Lloyd is often sadistic and mean-spirited, and not always obliviously so.
Source: Jerkass / Film -
She will do anything to make her happy, such as hooking her with Victor, no matter how mean and sadistic are her ways.
Source: Comic Book / Mini Monsters -
There's also Koko, who turned sadistic and mean-spirited under the influence of Zofis.
Source: Manga / Zatch Bell!
Cite this Source
Sadistic and Mean. (2016). Retrieved 2026, July 29, from https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/sadistic
Mean & Sadistic. N.p., 2016. Web. 29 Jul. 2026. <https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/sadistic>.
Sadistic or Mean. 2016. Accessed July 29, 2026. https://thesaurus.plus/related/mean/sadistic.
Google Ngram Viewer shows how "mean" and "sadistic" have occurred on timeline